is still raging in the region and the captain, fearful for our safety, asks us to disembark here. the ship will take a month to reach kisangani. a few weeks later another ship won't be so lucky. overloaded it sinks and 140 of its passengers drown in the river congo. [♪ theme music ♪] i'm michael shure. tonight in "the war room," union busting, arrests, the coach brothers the president it seems michigan has a little something for everyone these days. [♪ theme music ♪] welcome inside "the war

room," i'm michael shure sitting in for jennifer granholm. tonight the fight rages on in michigan. the new front line for the battle for worker's rights in this country. the uaw is founded there, but republican lawmakers are now threatening to cripple it there. this is pure and simple union busting. these right to work laws have already had serious impacts across the country. wages for all workers, unionized and otherwise have decreased an average of $1,500 a year and workers are less likely to get health insurance or pensions. during the campaign any president voiced strong support the unions but as we know

campaigning a very different from governing. things didn't look too promising this morning. so let's let the president speak for himself on this one. here he is in red ford michigan late this afternoon. >> obama: what we shouldn't be doing is taking away your rights to bargain for better wages. these so-called right to work laws have everything to do with politics. >> nice work mr. president, reelection beginning to look good on you. and michigan's workers are forging ahead. tomorrow thousands of protesters are set to desecond on the capitol of lancing. two school districts have canceled classes because of these protests.

today we got a preview. members of the nurse's union appeared with duct tape over their mouths. they blamed not only legislatures, but rick snyder who did a 180 on the issue. >> people are upset. people feel they have been taken advantage of, and the governor ises are ponsable. >> a new did you seems to back up that claim. it shows the michigan republican chairman describing how back in 2007 they decided not to introduce legislation because they didn't think they could get it by governor granholm. well, i promise you, they didn't think they could get it by her.

michigan now has receiver strong leaders in congress. they asked with governor snyder and asked him to find a middle path. cider told them he would seriously consider their concerns. i'm joined my mary kay henry, welcome inside "the war room." >> thank you. glad to be here. >> i'm sure you were totally tuned into what the president was saying today, was just having him mention it enough? >> it was great. it was wonderful that he talked about collective bargaining rights and how important it is for workers to be able to lift wages. >> is this payback? i mean -- the unions came out really, you know, in big somebodies for him.

there was vocal support, there were president rallies. is this a little bit of pay back for the president comes to michigan now? it was clear he went to detroit diesel. he talked to these union workers and said i have got your back. is this a different president than we have been used to seeing? >> we heard the president crystal clear thursday following the election about how important he thought it was for everybody to pay their fair share so we can get this country back to work and get the economy sped up. and i think he was planning to come to michigan before governor snyder switched up on us. i think this was an assault on any part of workers to have a

place, through an organization to speak with a united voice. >> it seems to me in listening to what karl levin was saying and this delegation asked him to not sign it hear more about it that snyder is beginning to see the gravity of this situation. whatever comes to me i'm going to votto or pass or sign. it is not that kind of legislation. this has far-ranging appeal. do you see a different side of snyder coming out of this meeting? >> i don't know. i am curious about the side of snyder this flipped next week when he said after promising

that he would never sign this legislation, he went public and said he would sign. i'm delighted they went in to make crystal clear why they this is bad for the middle class, but i don't think governor snyder is going to change his mind. it is clear to us that there is a united front, which is systematically trying to re reregulate this economy, and drive us into a low-wage economy where people cannot work one job any longer and feed their families, and it is wrong. >> not only it is wrong, i'm sure you feel it is contagious. i'm sure you feel michigan is center to this fight. and if snyder gets its way, it

will move to other states. what do you know about that? >> it's true. we know that ohio missouri kansas and now wisconsin are considering additional forms of this fight, and that's why we see this as a coordinated attack. first voting rights trying to defund planned parenthood and now silencing the voices of workers are part of an attack to make sure we do not have an economy that works for everybody in this country, and a democracy where we all have an equal say. as a woman who was born in detroit in 1957 my heart was broken when i hear this legislation was going to be passed and signed into law tomorrow. by i'm part of a community that are fired up and ready to go.

and we are going to organize and come out of this even stronger. >> fired up and ready to go was the president's slogan and has been for a while. what is the seu doing? >> we're having conversations with all of our neighbors. we think we have to have a very brood-based labor community effort that helps people understand why this is bad for working families and people who are unemployed in this state. there is no legislation this families are better off economically before than after. there is a $1,500 drop to workers. we think governor snyder is trying to pull a fast one and we

no betters. it effects everybody when there is an organized force in our economy that help live wages for other workers too. >> right to work seems like the thesis sentence of unionization. it seems it is number one important to be able to organize. the wording is misleading it is the right to bust not the right to work. >> absolutely. >> what would the new position be? >> more accurate describe would be the right not to work or the right to work for less. it is a way in which workers are divided from each others, and it decreases wages and economics for all people in our economy. and that's why we have to stand

against what governor snyder is doing in michigan and tell the story that when workers had '30% bargaining power, wages were rising for everyone but for nieces and nephews, they have experience of unions being able to raise wages for everyone and that's why this right to work fight in michigan helps to be the beginning of a turn around in making the case to the american people why we need strong unions in order to have a living wage economy. >> good news forthem is they won't have to go to school tomorrow, because their teachers

are going to lancing. >> exactly. >> so your union along with the teacher's union, they are running anned a right now. he's take a look. >> if the politicians in washington negotiate a bad deal on the budget and deficit, what do you think will happen to medicare and medicaid benefits? and to our coverage? ♪ >> you know i just want to quickly ask you while we have you, why the unions are getting involved in this debate over the fiscal cliff now? what steak did they have in this? >> we think we are one of the last remaining organizedd forces in the economy that fight to

invest that revenue and get the people back to work. because the private sector by itself is not generating the millions of more jobs. so it's about jobs and making sure we do not cut vital services to the people desperately need them. it's not just about the services, but it's also about stabilizing the employment of people in the healthcare and social security sector. so we have got to get back to work and protect services. that's why we think it's incumbent on us to have this fight as well. >> thank you for your time thank you for your time. next any time a right to work

battle props up the meddling koch brothers are sure to pop up. and from cory booker to ted cruz to hillary clinton it seems the most interesting head figures these days are drank the kool-aid. (vo) this friday current tv presents a special event. >> nobody knows disasters like comedians. that's why for my upcoming benefit for victims of hurricane sandy, i booked the strongest, smartest comics i could find. my comedian friends and i will raise money to rebuild homes and lives one laugh at a time. so tune in next friday for my all star comedy special. >> together we can get new

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you know who's coming on to me now? you know the kind of guys who do like verse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. >> she gets the comedians laughing... >> that's hilarious! >> ...and the thinkers thinking. >> okay, so there's wiggle-room in the ten commandments is what you're telling me. >> you would rather deal with ahmadinejad then me. >> absolutely! >> and so would mitt romeny. >> she's joy behar. >> and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? >> only on current tv. ♪ it's not just governor snyder and michigan republicans that unions are battling you'll

never guess who is funding their efforts. that's right think kochtopus. they do make some positive contributions to society, however. for more on the story is daniel fisher. welcome inside "the war room." >> hi. >> you know dan, we're glad you are here. we have a real image of who these people are. it is sort of like a boo radley thing. but what was the one take away from meeting with the koch brothers that changed you? >> i got to admit i didn't have much of different idea going in

because they have always been pretty up front about their politics. so it was a mystery to me actually the perception of them. because i think i get what makes them tick. >> you know their politics. they support ending the war on drugs, support gay marriage and these things are really at odds with the candidates they want. >> yes, this is a question i get a lot. if they are libertarian and pro economic rights and freedom, why do they support right-wing candidates? they are more libertarian, i would say. >> and that's what they have seen. although you have been up close with them, certainly than just about anybody in the press, any

journalist. we were talk about unions in the last segment. they employ lots of union members they haven't had a strike since 1993. why accounts for that? >> they pay well. i think there's a certain dependability. and i spoke to the head of one of their larger bargaining units and he said yes, things were rough in the mid-'90s but they trust each other. and, you know, it's no mystery, that's how you run businesses in industrialized businesses in america. you can't get rid of the union, you have to live with it. >> that's what we think so. i think it is what makes america really strong -- american

working class really strong in so many industries. let's talk though -- you spoke to them before and after the election, are these the kind of people that get demoralized. this was not what they wanted -- >> it wasn't what romney wanted either. >> no. >> the betting money, i think nobody counted on the weakness of the candidate, and obviously the electorate showed them. they probably thought the odds were in their favor, and they were wrong. but there is a wrong term project at work here. they have been working another this for decades, and one election didn't going to change much. >> what is neck for them then in that long story? why do they go from here? >> i think they will keep funding the organizations they

have been funding. i see you are tying them into michigan. for the record they say they have no involvement in michigan. americans for prosperity yeah they founded it. they give about 8% of the funding. it is a bit of a stretch to say that's a subsidiary of koch industries. they will probably keep giving to organizations like that and you know they say they are going to go out against subsidies. i asked them are you going to run super bowl ads, they said well, no maybe not that but i think they will make more public push in that direction. >> don't they take subsidies as well? >> yeah they do. warren buffet is all for higher taxes. do you see him moving first?

no. he will move when everybody else moves. they are against subsidies, but if you don't take subsidisies, you will lose. they spend more of their lobbying budget against it. they successfully got rid of the ethanol subsidy. i think smart businesses understand that subsidies are not good for business. they are not good for your business, because you are dependant upon washington, and it's better to invest in assets in manufacturing than lawbyists in washington. and i think the smart people in capitalism get that. >> yeah. and to be clear, i was just saying they employ so many union employees it seemed to behoove

us to talk about that as well. what happens next? >> well there's one son, chase, he's 35 and he is somewhere in the org chart. obviously they don't talk directly about succession. i think it will be survive the death of the two shareholders. this is not a small company, $115 billion in revenue. so they probably won't have to sell it off to pay death taxes, but i think they have a very deep director bench directly beneath charles koch. >> and who would be involved there? >> their president, for example is non-family member. the heads of flint hills which is refining and georgia-pacific

those are the two biggest companies. a lot of the other top members are family members. but i would bet that they are going to end up in control at some point. >> and most presumably they will continue the political influencing, or attempt to. daniel fisher i really thing you for coming in. up next there's been a mitt romney siting. i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

v ♪

it is not like we needed any more proof that mitt romney just isn't the guy you want in your corner, but we got some. [ cheers ] >> the former presidential candidate was ring side in vegas this weekend when juan manuel marquez knocked out mani pacquiao pacquiao. he reported said hi mani i'm mitt romney. i ran for president and lost. join us to talk about this is the king of excitement david shuster. >> oh, man. thank you. >> did you know that mitt romney

was a big boxing fan? >> no who knew he had any time for anything besides fox hunting or watching the staff wash down his horses after a race. >> we found out he has plenty of spare time apparently. >> for mani pacquiao was told there's no way you could possibly lose to judges from michigan, and ohio. but boxing fans know the undercards -- you don't really sit through the undercards you walk around. mitt romney and ann romney sat there expressionless out there recall of the undercards. and i'm told that the undercards were terrible. >> it is just fantastic.

the post race mitt is one of the most fascinating stories out there. he said to pacquiao, i lost it's the beginning of him acknowledging that he did in fact lose. >> it was camaraderie to meet somebody else who got their clock cleaned. >> that's right. hillary clinton said she is going to take some time and not do any political appearances. i'm proud to be talking about 2016. any chance that she does not run for president? >> i think there's a slight chance in that she just finished a job where she could go all over the world and didn't have to wait about fund raisers or political events back home so she may have had enough but i

think you are right. she is somebody who wants to be the first woman president of the united states. donors may wait because a clinton will be out there. and she will be encouraged by her husband and daughter and the old clinton crowd. >> i think the old clinton crowd is also a new clinton crowd, which is the obama crowd. so i think that will come along. here is newt gingrich talking about hillary clinton. >> she is very formidable as a person, a very confident person. she is married to the most

popular democrat in the country. she is virtually impossible to stop for the nomination. >> when you have newt gingrich saying those things, that says a lot, doesn't it? >> i thought hillary clinton would be the front runner until i hear newt gingrich saying that now i may have to change my mind. >> yeah. i want you to listen here is a little almost -- a sound bite from cory booker the mayor of newark, and a rising star of the democratic party. >> yeah i am absolutely considering returning for governor as well as giving other options some consideration. i'll be focused on that for the next week to ten days or so and come up with a decision that answer where do i believe i can make the best difference.

>> hum. >> i feel like bob schieffer asks those questions so say whoever he is asking those questions to say, i haven't really thought about that bob, the business of newark is in front of me. >> yeah, this is somebody who rushed into a neighbor's house that was on fire to save that person's life. he is currently trying to exist on food stamps so he can better relate to people doing that. he is going to get to write his own ticket. i do think it is shrewd of him though to think about bypassing the governor's race with christive that could be an extremely expensive race at a time when he could sort of waltz into the senate.

i would behe bypasses on the chris christive match up and runs for senate. >> yeah and frank laudenberg is going to be 90 years old. he might say i'm going to let cory booker have his chance. current tv unbelieve correspond dent -- >> michael, we're going to find the video of frank laudenberg rush going a burning house to save people as well so don't you worry. >> rushing? rushing? [ laughter ] >> all right. up next political birthplace of ronald reagan but lately a political burial ground for gop economics. shouldn't they at least be able to tie their shoes in the golden state without

♪ >> "the war room" is track the republican party's quest to rebrand. today they launched his growth and opportunity project to prevent it's 2012 failings from repeating in 2016. how can this gop fix the gop? they are looking for someone like this. yes, sr. a smooth-talking idealist who can take the country by the horns. but take a close look at that portrait. that's not president reagan it's california governor reagan. california might not be the party savior anymore.

out here r might as well stand for "rust." only 15 will be republicans in the next congress. that's six fewer than two years ago. in sacramento where reagan cut its chops, for the first time in 150 years they don't have control of the houses. here to talk about it joe garofoli welcome back inside "the war room," joe. >> good to be here. >> explain what a supermajority is? >> two-thirds. basically it's veto proof. they are talking about reforming prop 13 the landmark tax measure that came out 30 years ago. >> the california republican at their best is different from a national republican. >> exactly. >> at one point i look at the

national republican party saying to heck with california we have texas. but if the california -- the republican party wants to build and rebrand to fit into that isn't that sort of suicide here in state? >> absolutely. romney made no appearances here. the national ticket as totally blown off california. and there's no hope for the future right now. california is the ghost of christmas future for the republican party. this is what they are headed towards, because the latinos have wholly abandoned republicans in california and asian american voters. >> so when i listen to you say that, what can republicans possibly do anyway? whoever it is that is sort of bringing this party back up in

california, if they look at the national party what does the national party want with them? >> similar issues. issue number is immigration. this goes back to 1994. pete wilson aired an ad when he ran for governor here and said they keep coming. latinos still talk about how offensive that is. he is known as a name that we can't say on basic cable. >> let's look at that ad pete wilson. >> they keep coming 2 million illegal immigrants in california. the federal government requires us to pay billions to take care of it. governor pete wilson sent the national guard to help the border patrol. >> so he won that election. it's 18 years ago, not 30 years ago, and he won.

but the way we look at immigration now is so completely different, and it's why the republicans lost. so how do they turn it into the pro dream act party in california? >> they can start talking about the issue in a more humane way, and not be so mean-spirited about it. if they soften the rhetoric but they also have to change the policy, and there are some small groups in the los angeles area, starting to get elected to local offices. they are looking 20 years down the road to try to rebuild the party, and it's a very small step. >> yeah and it sort of takes california out of the national stage. >> they are totally out of play

on both sides. it's actually a money saver for the democrats. >> it is. but the problem with the supermajority is they are the only ones to blame. we are seeing that now. congress is being blamed now the republican house. >> they own it absolutely. but they still have more cushion for air than the republicans do nationally. because of the demographic shift, they have a pretty good hold on the votes here. they are in a pretty comfy position. >> is there precedent in american history for something like that? >> maybe utah. the republican hold in utah is

similar to california. >> it is interesting stuff, because reading your article makes you think that -- >> it's the same thing on same-sex marriage. >> yeah. >> republicans backed prop 8 four-square, and now if things go to the supreme court and same-sex marriage is allowed to continue in california they will be behind history on that one too, and they are going to lose a generation of younger voters of all colors. >> thank you very much. up next there are those that get it wrong some of the time there are those (vo) this friday current tv presents a special event. >> nobody knows disasters like comedians. that's why for my upcoming benefit for victims of hurricane sandy, i booked the strongest,

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♪ >> it's hard for any war room including this one to lose track of right-wing hatchel man, dick morris. >> we need to understand how just weekly this president was reelected. by the skin of his eth. eed toota upgagasthe socialist agenda, and stop him from fundamentally changing the united states. >> just last week we told you that fox news is taking a break from his so-called incites, but

his troubles don't end in the tv studio. paul walden takes a look at his superpack, and he seems to be using it to pad his own wallet. joining us now is paul who joins us from washington, d.c. thank for coming inside "the war room." >> my pleasure. >> dick morris con man. those are pretty big words. tell us what you mean by that? >> i think there was a question mark. the question is is he essentially pulling a con on his supporters. i haven't been able to find any ads that they aired, but they told people who donated them that they would be helping to

elect mitt romney. he raise about $3 million, and about $1.7 million of that went to a news organization to can be marketed to for political things and if you are a news max reader or reader of other things like human events you'll get a lot of comes on for get-rich quick themes and miracle cures, that kind of stuff comes in a deluge to those people. morris set up a system where you would help elect his super pact and then he would pay news max, and they run dick morris's own email list. so obviously he must be getting

a cut or maybe a majority but some part of that money, so it's this end less cycle of funds none of which is going to the os tensive purpose, it all seems to be going back and forth between dick morris and news max. >> it's almost like one of those pyramid schemes the way i hear you describe it. and it sort of takes his wild predictions as being the least egregious thing that he does. who calls him out on this stuff? isn't this just what you get when you have something like citizen's united stated. >> to an extent. but we sometimes think about the right as this undifferentiated

right, but his fans are not concerned that his predictions turn out to be wrong. he is giving them somewhat like what glenn beck gives to his audience, which is don't worry about what you are hearing elsewhere, i'll give you the real inside scoop. and morris is all talking about i have access to a poll that nobody else has access to which is really good one. and so the people -- you know that 70-year-old guy sitting in his living room shaking his fist at the screen who is also the part of the rest of the audience for the fox lineup that is dick morris's mark and if he can get him to give him his email address and get him to contribute to his super pac, that guy is going to continue to

be a source of support and revenue for morris and the other people in this particular corner of the right. >> so it's like he has his own sort of twitter followers that he can sell or rent to people and he gets a cut. >> that's what it appears. and this has been a part of right-wing organizeing for a long time. there is the pioneer of direct mail advertising to conservatives. the buying and selling of those lists, that is something that has been important for a few decades now on the right, and morris seems like he is tapping into it with a great deal of acumen. >> the more you learn about this makes it even more amazing that they lost.

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for your uncle. the president obama punching bag. better to let him let out his anger on something inflatable. and this tea shirt sa theying does this concealed weapon make me look fat? and what about something for the fruities in your family. this hillary clinton nutcracker and bill clinton corkscrew set? and once they have had their fill of wine and nuts they can cook up plenty of manly meat on this barbecue grill is definitely killing two birds with one stone. finally your right-wingers